Wildland firefighters on the Moose fire set up sprinklers and irrigation lines for structure protection in Shoup. Similar efforts are underway in the Beaver Creek area.

The pink-shaded area shows the burn area from the Moose fire near Salmon. The red border shows where the fire remains uncontained.

Wildland firefighters on the Moose fire set up sprinklers and irrigation lines for structure protection in Shoup. Similar efforts are underway in the Beaver Creek area.

Weather conditions continue to make fighting the Moose fire a challenge.

Salmon-Challis National Forest officials said hot, dry weather was expected to continue through Thursday, bringing a chance for rain and thunderstorms as well as gusty wind and lightning.

The human-caused fire has burned nearly 83,000 acres since it was first detected on July 17. It is 34 percent contained.

The pink-shaded area shows the burn area from the Moose fire near Salmon. The red border shows where the fire remains uncontained.

Salmon River Road between Spring Creek and Panther Creek is closed until further notice due to increased fire activity along the river, a Forest Service news release said. Panther Creek Road is the alternate route to access Corn Creek. Panther Creek Road is unpaved, narrow, and will have fire-related and mining-related traffic present, so those traveling in the area must plan for extra travel time, the release said. Morgan Bar Campground also is temporarily closed to public use.

Low humidity and high temperatures over the previous few days caused active fire behavior, and the lack of wind has translated into lingering smoke and haze, the release said. Most fire activity is taking place in the area between Pine Creek, Beaver Creek, and Panther Creek Road, and a finger moving southwest from Forest Service 300 Road. Incident meteorologists moved an Incident Remote Weather Station closer to the Pine Creek area to better monitor local, terrain-driven weather conditions and provide more accurate forecasting for fire managers and firefighters, the release said.

Firefighters on Tuesday took defensive actions to strengthen the Forest Service 300 Road line to keep the fire from moving south and east. In the Beaver Creek area, firefighters focused on structure protection efforts and plumbing hose lays and pumps, the release said. Helicopters dropped more than 34,000 gallons of water in an effort to cool the fire edge, as well. In the “horseshoe,” firefighters strengthened the line along Napoleon area and continued with structure protection efforts in the Diamond Gulch area, the release said.

The latest updates on evacuation orders can be found at lemhicountyidaho.org/site-home/urgent-alerts/latest-updates-moose-creek-fire. Details and a closure map can be found at bit.ly/3BotHEf.

The latest updates on the fire can be found at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8249.

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